Perforated powder rod for ordnance.



UNITE STATES "PATENT f' x GEORGE W. MCMU'LLEN, PICTQN, CANADA- PERFoRAri-:p Pownsn non rou ORUNANGE.

SPECIFICATION fr-ming part of Letters Patent, No. 660.568. datedctober 30. 1900.

lAnpllcsrn led. February 10. 1900. ierinl Xn. 4,737. ('Hospeaiuisnp.- V

.To ail whom it may concern:

Be if. known that I, EMIL GATHMANN, of Wushingtomin the District of Columbiaghuve invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Shapes oPowder Rods or Grains for use in Ordnance, of which the following.r is a. specification.

My invention relules to powder shuped in rods orgrains for use in ordnance, andis more to particularly applicable to those powders in which the principal ingredients are nitrocel` lulose or a mixture of nitrocellulose, and has for its object to p rovide for n uniform distribution of the charge of rndsor grains in the x5 powder-cha-mber of the gun, having auch a construction of the rods or grains forming the charge that they will resist the tendency to ily into small fragments durin; 1 the combustion of the charge, therebycansnge sudden zo rise in the pressurcand for the rapid and uni-- form ignition of the entire charge by such construction as will allow the flames of the priming or ignition to have unobstructedpussage to every portion of each unit or grain of a5 which the charge is composed.

To these ends myinvention consists in certain novel features, which I will now proceed to describe und will then particularly point y out in the claims. A

3o In tho accompanying drawings, Figure lis a. perspective view of a portion of rod or unit of whlsh -n charge may be composed. Fig. 2 is u transverse sections! view taken on linedv dof Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of another form of rod or grain ern v bodying my invention. Fig. 4 is n transverse sectional view of the same, ,taken on line ff of Fig. 3. Figs. 5, 6, and 7er@ transverse sec-l tional views of rods or grains, showing modif 4o cation of crosssecti0ns of rods or grains embodying my invention. Fig. S is a perspective view of .another form of rod or grain embodying my inver. Lion. Fig. 9 is an end view of rod shown in Fig.. 8.

I have determined from numerous experiments that an efficient powder charge which will develop a high velocity accompanied by relatively low bore-pressure should possess thefollowing requisites: first, a form-of grain 5o or rod that will insures uniform distribution of the charge in the powder-.chamber of the gun; second; such u construct-ion of the rods y or grains which 'form the charge as will pre-4 veilt any vtendency te yhinto small fragments' during' the combustion of the charge, there- 55 by occessoninfir a sudden rise in pressure, and, third, such a construction of the charge'as. will insure a. mpid ignition thereof in its en- A ti rety by allowing the ume of the priming or ignition' charge to have u free und nnob- 6o structed passage toeve'ry portion of theelements of -Whivh the charge is composed:

To obtain these endi=','l'e,lnpley powder in Vthe form of rods, haviughot only longitudinal perform-ions, hu'tuls'o radial perforations, o5 these rods beingjconstrnctedof a. suitable colloid explosive material having prefernhly a maximum toughness. Inth'e particular embodi-inent of` my invention lillustrated in Figs.

1 'und 2 ofv the drawings these rods, which are-*1o indicated nt 1, are provided with u. plurality of longitudinal perforations 2, extending throughsaid rods from end to end. In rods thus constructed, lint without any provision other than longitudinal apertures, just referred to, for perlnittingthe ignition-flames lo communicate with the more distant portions -of the rods, the gases are generated within the longitudinal apertures in such great volume thntthese passages can not accommodatetheir 8o i flow, und the rods are therefore burst open und broken into fragments, thereby increns ing the velocity ofcombustion by presenting a greater au rfece of powder material, which increased velocity of combustion will causen sudden anddaugerous rise in the pressure inf the bore of the gun and the consequent liability of injuring or even vbursting tine g'nn.

In order to obviate this difficulty, I provide radiales well as longitudinal perforations, 9a

cuts, or apertures, and in the particular conl y struction shown in Figs. 1, 2, und 5 these f radial apertures are in theform of cuts 0l'v l i grooves, extending from the periphery of the md'mduy inward, It will beobserve 95 y' 'i thatthese apertures or grooves lintercept all .the longitudinal perfor-ations 2 atstated in.

tervals. These intercepting'cutsor grooves f will be of such dimensions and number, acl I l cording to the varyingcondtions of loading p zootion of each rod` and consequently of the en-v tire charge, and giving a reliable and even pressu re in the powder-chamber and bore of the gun. In making up a charge of this powio der a plurality oi' rods of the proper character are placed with their axes parallel Vwith each other in such a way as to form a fagot or bundle, landthe fagot or bundle is I nld in' permanent form, so as to facilitate handling,

x by means of iexible ties or cord or the like surrounding the same at suitable intervals; Powder charges of this class are usual Iy couiposed of a great.- nulnber of comparatively sliort pieces or blot-ks, which are plaoed'pro- 2o miscuonsly. within a suitable inclosing bag or envelop, so that uniformity of distribution or arrangement. of the; charge is lacking, while at the same time the bag or en'\'clop, being Y cere; to every portion of thepowder charge,

constructed of silk or othersiinilar material z5 in order that it may be' readily destroyed by the combustion ofthe charge, is extremely expensive. Not only is this expense done' away with by the onstruction above described, but'regolarity and uniformity ofthe 3o distribution and arrangement of the charge within the powder-chamber of the gun are insured and handiness in load-ing of such charges obtained, as the rods when" tied in fagot-s make a stii and easily-handled charge. The particular form and arrangement of the radial apertures may obviously be varied without departing from the principle of my invention, and in Figs. 3, 4, 6, and 7 of the drawings l have shown a form of rod in whicn 4o the apertures or perforations 3 extend entirely through the rod from side toside thereof, being shown in this instanceas substan tially square in cross-section and of sluch dimensions as to intercept in each case all of the' longitudinal perf'orations of the rod.

In Figs. 5 and 7 ribsA are shown as rein.- forcing the longitudinal strength of rods' to compensate for material taken from rods by perforations or cu'ts 3. As these ribs obvi- 5o onsly increase thickness of powder material, longitudinal grooves 5-of suitable size 'are provided.

Fig. 6 shows rod of hexagonal cross-section, which section may be of ad vantage when close packing orgreat density of charge is ;.V

Lone-halfthe diameter .of saidrod. 'A com-l pletctnrn offsaidspiral will therefore intercept. all longitudinal perforations. u' By varying the size ofthe transverse,radial, or spiral' apertures or cuts of the rods :woord` 65 ing to the weight of charge required and the capacit-y of the powder-chamber I am enabled to build up a fagot or bundle charge which ,will evenl andju niforinly distribute n charge ot' the' proper size and weight throughout the 16' entire pon'deigchamber. In this waylhe three i requisites hereinbefore referred to are fulfilled, since the proper chai-gefiel uniformly distributed throughout the powder-chamber,

, the tendency ofthe rods to fly 'into small 75 fragments is prevented, and the'ilams of" the priming charge have free and ready acand an even -ombustionoi this latter i's xssured. `Besides fulfilling the three above-3o l named requisites the handinese of loading ordnance with charges bnilt-l of rods of this description is greatlysuperior to chargesv wherein small grains are placed in bags, as will be readily understood by all those versed in the art. I u

Without limiting myself to the precise def tails of construction and arrangements here.' inbefore described, I elaim t 1. A powder rod provided with multilongi- 9o tudinal perfo'rationsand with transverse cuts, each one such transverse cut intercepting all of the longitudinal perforations'.'

2. A colloid powder rod provided with multilongitudinal perfor-ations and with transverse cuts, each 'one' such. transverse cut intercep'ting all'of the longitudinal perfomtions. i

3, A multilongitudinelly-perforated rdf colloid explosive material of the'characterloa nsedas a propelling agent, in ordnance, provided with transverse euts, each such cut intercept ing all of the longitudinal perforations.

I EMIL GTHMANN.

lvitnesses: I

G. W. MCMULLEN, BERTHA L. DANA. 

